Chapter 4

Mr. Montero walked up beside Charlie and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Charlie, I think maybe you don't feel too good. Maybe you should go home."

Charlie had been lost in his thoughts and was startled by the hand on his shoulder. "Huh? Oh, no Mr. Montero, I'm OK. I'm sorry, I guess I haven't been very focused on my work. I've just got some things on my mind. I'll try to do better."

"Sometimes it helps to talk about it. I might not be able to fix your problem but I have a good ear for listening. Why don't you tell me what's bothering you. It might be helpful for both of us, if you understand my meaning."

Charlie smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just having a hard time getting over last Saturday. I had a date with Tracy Kimball and it had a vey bad ending."

"Things don't always go the way we want them to. What was so bad about last Saturday?"

"Well, the date itself went fine. It was what Tracy and my Mom did to get me to ask her for a date that's going to be hard to forgive." He went on to tell Mr. Montero the whole sordid tale of the conspiracy and what he felt was a betrayal of his trust. "I should have known it was too good to be true. I suppose it's a good lesson for me to not be so damned naïve." He sighed and went back to repotting geraniums and petunias into hanging baskets.

The old man listened to Charlie's sad story and shook his head. "Mujeres! Eso fue realmente estúpido! I'm sorry that happened to you, amigo mio. You don't deserve to be treated like that. But look, haven't you ever had a real stupid idea? I've met your mother and I think she is a very nice lady. You must know that what she did was meant to help you. What Tracy did was cruel but she might not have meant it to be so. You are a fine young man, Charlie. If I had a daughter your age, I would be very happy if she was going out with you. My advice is to just get over it. What they did wasn't very smart but I don't think it was meant to hurt you. You can be sure that those two learned a much harder lesson than you did."

Charlie nodded his head in agreement. "I'm sure your right, Mr. Montero. It's just going to take me a while to shake it off. Thanks for listening and I'll try to pay more attention to my work."

"One more thing, muchacho. You must know and I am certain your mother is feeling very bad for what she has done. She must have been desperate to do something so foolish but she could not have meant to bring pain to your heart. If you are feeling some kind of pleasure that she feels ashamed, then shame on you. You must forgive her. Today! You must not let her suffer more than she already has. As for the girl, Tracy, well, I cannot even guess why she would do such a thing."

"I can't either."

When he got home from work that afternoon his mom was in the kitchen cooking dinner. He could see that she was practically in tears when she looked at him. She lost it when he smiled and put his arms around her, hugging her tight.

When she had regained control, she said, "Charlie, I'm so sorry for what I did. Please don't hate me for being such an idiot!"

Continuing to hug her, he said, "I wish you hadn't done it but I know you didn't mean any harm. I talked to Mr. Montero today and he got me thinking in the right direction. I forgive you but I hope you won't ever try to buy me a date again. It isn't exactly an ego boost."

"I know, Baby. I can see that now. I just thought that once that first hurdle was crossed, you'd open up."

"Mom, I have to find a way that works for me, not you. Maybe moving to California will give me a chance to start again; you know, not having to deal with the same kids I grew up with." He chuckled, "Besides, I hear there's weird-o people all over the place out there. I might feel right at home."

Fran stood back and punched him playfully on the shoulder, "Charlie, you quit saying things like that! There's nothing weird about you."

"Yeah?" His smile went away. "Ask the girl who had to be paid to go out with me."

Fran reached into her pocket and handed him the check he'd given to Tracy. "She feels as badly as I do about that, Charlie. She brought this by this morning after you left for work. She was in tears when she left. You were kind enough to forgive me, Honey, couldn't you forgive her as well?"

"I don't think so, at least not yet. I think her motivation was a little too mercenary to be passed off as an error in judgment." He kissed his mom on the forehead and went to his room.